Financing of NCD Prevention in LMICs: Belarus Case Study

Objective: To estimate spending on NCD prevention in Jamaica and identify the enablers, challenges and dynamicsunderpinning population-level NCD prevention spending, with particular focus on tobacco use, harmful use ofalcohol, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.Methods: Primary and secondary data collection was used to examine processes and organizational contexts thatshape the formulation of policy and financial frameworks for NCD prevention. The methodology was categorizedinto three tiers; an academic literature review, scrutiny and analysis of official policy documents and budgetary dataon health and NCDs, and in-depth stakeholder interviews with key government officials leading NCD programmes.Government and government-routed donor spending on population level prevention was gauged to estimate NCDprevention spending. Where possible, impact of prevention programmes on disease incidence and risk factors wasgauged through available outcome indicators.Results: From 2016 to 2020, Belarus allocated an estimated BYN 15,762,041 to population level NCD prevention,which amounts to about 6.6% of the NCD-related budget and 0.02% of the total state health budget. Despite beingamong highest spenders in the world on health and shifting policy towards NCDs in recent years, allocations forNCD prevention remain low. Recent enablers include progress on taxing and reducing use of tobacco and alcoholand high levels of political commitment to health. Challenges include excess allocations towards curativeinfrastructure and services, focus on specialist instead of preventive primary care, inadequate focus on rising obesityand salt consumption, limited health communication and low population participation in health care.Conclusion: Belarus has increased focus on NCDs and risk factors in recent years, but this is not reflected yet inspending priorities. Re-routing its considerable health spending toward NCD prevention programmes could bothmitigate its growing NCD disease burden and bring significant economic benefits.Keywords: Non-communicable, Diseases, Tobacco, Incidence, Illness